darlington xfinity

Qualifying got rained out halfway through, so we've got a bit of a wacky qualifying order. There are a number of really good position difference plays starting in the back that will lead to a lot of chalky lineups in cash games. Let's talk through some of the options--

• Tyler Reddick - He's in the #48 car and was really fast on Friday before the rain hit. He should be a Top 10 car and has Top 5 upside at a track that suits him perfectly.
• Ryan Truex - He has a Top 3 long run car in practice, but had some kind of mechanical issue on his qualifying run before the rain hit. The issue gives me some hesitation, but it's likely a big team like JGR can diagnose and fix the issue before the race. He'll probably start from the rear, but that's fine with his 28th official starting spot.
• John Hunter Nemechek - He had the best 5-lap and 10-lap times in practice on Friday and won the Truck Series race Friday night. Like Reddick, this should be a Top 10 car with Top 5 potential.
• Stephan Parsons, Josh Bilicki and Tommy Joe Martins - The best of the punt options since they start really far back and all have some experience here. If salary is no issue, that's the order I'd use them in. I am worried about TJM because his speed was way off in practice and his pre-rain qualifying run was not very good at all.
  
  • I could also see using Timmy Hill as a punt, but be cautious and realistic. It's not going to be a very reliable or fast car. But he is a better driver then half the field.
  • I'm also adding Bayley Currey here because he's so darn cheap. He shouldn't go backwards unless the car breaks. And he's typically been finishing in the low- to mid-20s in incident free races. (They're Xfinity punts, so it's hard to feel real good about any of these.)
• Noah Gragson - He's usually awesome at the worn out tracks that run fast right along the wall. I think he wins this race and leads a good chunk of laps.
• Josh Berry - Also excels at worn out race tracks and is coming off a great win at Dover last week. Probably not a cash game play, but like him a lot as a possibly lower owned dominator in tournaments.